Cooking Army

Sorry guys, but there’s no Cooking Army this week. With soldiers deployed far and wide, we just don’t have enough troops back here at home to get one in. We should be good for a Cooking Army on June 6th though, so stay tuned.

We didn’t BBQ this one and just oven baked everything and it turned out pretty good anyway.

Shoyu Chicken – http://allrecipes.com/recipe/shoyu-chicken/detail.aspx
Still a group favorite. Damn tasty.

Sesame Crusted Mahi Mahi – http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sesame-crusted-mahi-mahi-with-soy-shiso-ginger-butter-sauce/detail.aspx
This probably took the longest, but they turned out pretty good with just the right amount of bake time (15 min).

Manapua Short Cut – http://cookinghawaiianstyle.com/hawaiian-recipes?view=recipes&layout=detail&id=110#content
Everyone really liked these, they were great appetizers.

Pineapple salad – chop everything and mix in a salad bowl

diced fresh pineapple
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 onion
spinach
garden mix lettuce

This actually turned out better than the last pineapple salad we did because we spent way too much time on the homemade dressing when, the pineapple juice from the pineapple was more than enough.

Aloha!

A number of the Cooking Army members and attendees are planning a trip to Maui in the near future and thought it’d be nice to have everyone join us, at least in spirit, a little. With your bellies. While Jeremy said we couldn’t dig a spit to roast a whole hog in his living room, I still think it would have been really tasty. Instead, we’re doing a couple recipes we’ve done in the past here that everyone liked, I’m lookin’ to see if we can refine them to be even better this time around.

When: This Wednesday, May 9th. Cooking at 6:30, Food ready at 7:45.
What: Shoyu Chicken, Sesame Crusted Mahi Mahi, Manapua Short Cut, Pineapple salad

PSA: For those not aware, Cooking Army has a website! Yes, you can go to HTTP://COOKINGARMY.COM and we post all these invites, as well as the recipes we use. Feel free to comment on things you like and if your friends aren’t on the email list, you can send them to the recruitment page. Now back to our normally scheduled program…

Come on over and bring your favorite umbrella drink mix or a frosty beverage of your choice. Bring your friends, sit back and relax at our little luau, it’s time to eat.

/Chris

We had our first hospitalized troop this week. It’s actually impressive we’ve been doing Cooking Army for six and a half years and this is our first purple heart. But potato peeling? Really? Why can’t JP just get shrapnel to the ass like everyone else?

Schnitzel (chicken and pork)

For this, we didn’t really have much of a recipe, we took chick breasts and pork loin chops, tenderized them with a meat hammer, dipped them in egg (whisking the egg yoke and white together beforehand), then dipping them into breadcrumbs along with pepper and some other seasonings, then pan frying them in an oiled skillet on the stove until they were a solid brown.
These were pretty decent, standard fare shnitzel.

Oxtail Soup: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Oxtail-Soup-with-Red-Wine-and-Root-Vegetables-102123
This was made in a huge quantity, but it was mostly broth. Fairly tasty still.

Homemade Bavarian Pretzels: http://www.theoktoberfest.com/HTML/pretzel/index.html
This was best of the night, absolutely awesome. If you like pretzels, THIS is the way to make’em.

German Potato Salad: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/german-potato-salad-recipe/index.html
Pretty good, a bit sour, but then agian, that’s what german potato salad is supposed to be. There was no blood mixed in either.

This week, we at the Cooking Army are celebrate the foods of one of the most belligerent nations in history. Yes, it’s time for German food once again. We will be serving some Schnitzel. We will be offering our oxtail soup. We will be passing the pretzels. You will be bringing the beverages (beer). Please partake in our perfectly prepared potlatch.

What: Schnitzel (chicken and pork), Oxtail Soup, Homemade Bavarian Pretzels (maybe some homemade mustard if we’re feeling adventurous)
When: Wednesday, April 18th 7:30 PM (cooking starts at 6:30)

A meal like this deserves some good German Bier. So be sure to bring some. Come one, come all! It’s time to eat.

Had a damn good showing, 17 people for this one! Woo!

Shredded Beef Tacos: http://gimmesomeoven.com/slow-cooker-shredded-beef-tacos/
These were pretty standard tacos, still pretty tasty though.

Chorizo and Cheese stuffed Poblano Peppers: http://www.food.com/recipe/spicy-chorizo-stuffed-poblano-peppers-with-cheese-474914
These were awesome. Dripping with cheese… It’s too bad we only made a couple.

Tilapia Ceviche: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/marcela-valladolid/tilapia-ceviche-recipe/index.html
This was the gold star of the night, everyone loved it.

Gallo Pinto Rice and Beans: http://costa-rica-guide.com/travel/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=282&Itemid=489
You DO NOT need to increase this recipe in any way. It was good, but we had TONS of leftovers.

Hey Kids,

It’s been a while since we last toiled in the kitchen for you all and I think it’s about time I gave myself something else to complain about. To that end, in honor of spring, and also in honor of other things that have no direct relation to this, we will be making food hailing from various countries in Central America. There will be fish, there will be meat, and there will be various wrappings made from corn and flour, all arranged in slightly different ways.

When: This Wednesday, April 4th. Cooking at 6:30, Food ready at 7:45.
What: Shredded Beef Tacos, Tilapia Ceviche, Chorizo and Cheese Stuffed Poblano Peppers, Gallo Pinto Rice and Beans

I still have a reasonable supply of beer in my fridge, but if you want something in particular, feel free to bring it. And feel free to bring your friends, your enemies or anyone else who likes free food. It’s time to eat.

-Jeremy

This cooking army turned out pretty well, with a new staple being chosen!

Roasted Figs & Prosciutto

20 large fresh rig figs
20 thin slices prosciutto (about 8 ounces)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Snip the hard stems off the figs and cut the figs in half lengthwise through the stem. With a small sharp knife, cut the prosciutto lengthwise into inch-wide strips. Wrap a strip of prosciutto around the center of each fig half, with the ends overlapping. Brush with olive oil and arrange cut side up on a sheet pan.

Roast the figs for 10 minutes, until the prosciutto is a little crisp and the figs are warmed through. Serve warm.

We replaced the figs with dates as figs weren’t in season, but they turned out pretty good still.

Roasted Vegetable Frittata

2 small zucchini, 1-in diced
2 red bell peppers, 1.5 in diced
2 yellow bell, 1.5 in diced
2 red onion, 1.5 in diced
2/3 c olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 t minced garlic (4 cloves)
2 dozen eggs
2 c half-and-half
1/2 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 T unsalted butter
2/3 chopped scallions, white and green parts (6 scallions)
1c grated Gruyere cheese (about 4 oz)

*skipped instructions for roasting the veggies*

*in two large bowls*
In a large bowl, whisk together 1 dozen eggs, 1c half-and-half, 1/4c Parmesan, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

In a 10-inch ovenproof saute pan, melt the butter and saute the scallions over medium-low heat for 1 minute. Add the roasted vegetables to the pan and toss with the scallions. Pour the egg mixture over the begetables and cook for 2 minutes over medium low heat without stirring. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake the frittata for 20 to 30 minutes, until puffed and set in the middle. Sprinkle with the Gruyere and bake for another 3 minutes, until the cheese is just melted. Cut into 6 or 8 wedges and serve hot.

This was probably the best item of the night and was said to become a Cooking Army staple, on the order of Disappearing Pork, people liked it so much.

Chicken with Shallots

8 boneless check breasts, skin on (6 to 8 oz each)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 T vegetable/canola oil
1c dry white wine
2/3c freshly squeezed lemon juice (6 lemons)
1/2 minced shallots (2 large)
6T heavy cream
1 stick unsalted butter, diced, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels and sprinkle them generously on both sides with salt and pepper. In a 12-inch cast-iron skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat for 2 minutes, until it begins to smoke. Place the chicken breasts, skin side down, in the skillet and cook for 4 to 5 minutes without moving, until golden brown.

Using tongs, turn the chicken breasts skin side up, place the skillet in the oven, and roast for 12 to 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

Meanwhile, in a medium saute pan, combine the white wine, lemon juice, and shallots and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until 4 T of liquid remain in the pan. If it reduces too much, add an extra splash of white wine or water. Add the creme, 1 t salt, 1/4 t pepper and bring to a full boil. Remove from the heat, add the diced butter, and swirl the pan until the butter is incorporated. Don’t reheat or the sauce will “break”! Sprinkle with salt and serve the chicken hot with the sauce spooned over it.

This turned out pretty tasty, although it came out a little later than we had thought.

Much of the world cooks while barefoot, but there is only one barefoot contessa we look to for culinary advice. This week we will combine classy bacon, roasted vegetables, half and half and heavy cream and serve you food barefoot. This week we will feature the future cooking army standard the Roasted Vegetable Frittata. I’ve already made it three times and am looking forward to eating it again.

Details
When:  This Wednesday, 29th of February.  Food ready by 7:30, cooking starts at 6:30.
What:  Roasted Vegetable Frittata, Prosciutto wrapped dates, Chicken Breast

Beverages
Bring them.

enjoy,
Jason

Soups and Saladettes,

Every once in a while, we here at the Cooking Army like to pretend that we are Earth conscious and care about the future and other peoples’ feelings. That’s right, this week, we’re going vegetarian! There will be no sissy vegetarian offerings like tofu in this meal, though. No sir! (Or ma’am whichever the case may be.) Our menu this week features a pair of soups, Cream of Asparagus and Black Bean & Chipotle, that could only be described as scrumptious and succulent, respectively, if they were being made by anyone with talent. We, on the other hand, can only promise you won’t get food poisoning. Our feature salad will be a French Pasta Salad that is guaranteed to make your taste buds surrender.

Croutons!

When: This Wednesday, February 1st. Food ready by 7:30, cooking starts at 6:30.
What: Cream of Asparagus Soup, Black Bean & Chipotle Soup, French Pasta Salad

The beer situation in this hippie commune is grim. Best bring some with you if you’d like to get liquored. Bring your Level Five Vegans, bring your non-conformists, bring your empty stomach. It’s time to eat!